Michelle Rowland appointed Shadow Minister for Communications

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news Labor MP Michelle Rowland has been appointed to the Shadow Cabinet, taking on the role of Shadow Minister for Communications.

Rowland, who was a lawyer specialising in communications for over 10 years before entering Parliament, said she is “honoured” by the new role and looks forward to “tackling the challenges and embracing the opportunities for communications policy in Australia”.

“Communications is integral to the paramount Labor value of equality of opportunity and an critical part of Labor’s plan for jobs,” the new Shadow Minister said, adding that her party will continue to bring a “consumer-focused” approach to communications policy.

“Businesses and organisations across industries – from education and health care to Australia’s over two million small businesses – need confidence that communications policy is working for them. This means questions of accessibility and affordability must be the highest priorities,” she said.

According to the Shadow Minister, the election presented a “clear choice” between the Turnbull Government’s “failed approach” to a “second-rate” NBN, and Labor’s commitment for up to two million more fibre connections.

“The Prime Minister boasts the NBN is one of his proudest achievements, yet he oversaw Australia slide from 30th in the world for Internet speeds to 60th. This simply isn’t good enough,” she said.

Rowland said that she will continue to push Labor’s commitment to a “world-class NBN”.

Further, she aims to ensure the party’s approach to “important” policy debates – such as the communications regulatory framework, universal service and media ownership reform – is “grounded in evidence and what is best for all Australians, from our urban centres to regional and rural communities”.

Image credit: Parliamentary broadcasting

19 COMMENTS

  1. A good pick, I think she’ll be better than Clare who was mostly too tame and allowed too many coalition lies to go unchallenged.

    • Agreed. Oftentimes it felt like he didn’t know enough about the portfolio to know what was being said by the LNP was a barefaced lie.

      • In the end the Labor NBN policy was virtually a mirror of the Coalition policy, so all the pre election anti Coalition NBN negative bluster dished out by Labor over the years was a waste of time.

        • “In the end the Labor NBN policy was virtually a mirror of the Coalition policy”

          Don’t you mean the other way round? Before the last election, there were only a handful of FTTN connections and HFC had only just been announced. The Coalition throughout the last election period was a mirror (with exception of the slowdown of the FTTH rollout) of the Labor plan.

          But let’s not talk about that one … it might get in the way of your Coalition cheerleader pom poms.

          • Your one eyed analysis front and centre as usual, the Coalition NBN Co had more FTTN RFS in five months than Labor had on FTTP between 2011-2013.

            But Labor were in the so called ‘ramping up’ phase where removing 50% from their original rollout target estimate at the end in 2013 was giving a whole new meaning as to what ‘ramping up’ means.

            That’s all in the rapidly diminishing distant past as the Coalition MtM was voted in for a second term rollout to completion.

          • “NBN Co had more FTTN RFS in five months than Labor had on FTTP between 2011-2013”

            You still having trouble understanding the Coalition put the skids on a ramp up Reality?

            “But Labor were in the so called ‘ramping up’ phase where removing 50% from their original rollout target estimate at the end in 2013 was giving a whole new meaning as to what ‘ramping up’ means”

            Oh so you DO understand what a ramp up is. So your first comment is invalid. And, like Richard, you need to understand thimbles as well Reality.

            https://delimiter.com.au/2016/07/13/telstra-kicks-off-recruitment-program-deal-nbn-hfc-contract/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Delimiter+(Delimiter)#comment-753105

            “Coalition MtM was voted in for a second term”

            Considering you have stated many times that this project wasn’t an election issue … now it is … or is that when it suits you Reality? It’s OK, I know the answer.

            Just because the Coalition scraped in doesn’t make for a ringing endorsement of ANY of their policies, let alone the MTM, which has been consistently identified as a turkey, and you can’t even blame Labor for that one … Coalition voters think so too.

            By the way Reality … 25 Mbps by the end of 2016 … how’s that working out? *chuckle*

          • Murdoch,

            You still having trouble understanding the Coalition put the skids on a ramp up Reality?

            The Coalition was responsible for taking 50% off the Labor NBN FTTP rollout targets in 2013?

            Considering you have stated many times that this project wasn’t an election issue … now it is … or is that when it suits you Reality? It’s OK, I know the answer.

            Doesn’t matter what I think, the fact is the Coalition MtM has been voted in for a second term on the back of a re elected Government, and the Coalition NBN will be the model that is completed.

            which has been consistently identified as a turkey,

            Who by, you and your one eyed FTTP band of brothers?

            Coalition voters think so too.

            Really so how come the Labor NBN policy was not voted in?

            By the way Reality … 25 Mbps by the end of 2016 … how’s that working out? *chuckle*

            That’s two of you that don’t know that the SR13 changed the Coalition NBN promises, that is SR13 from 2013, but then *chuckle* you know that *chuckle* but what else you gonna talk about hey?

            *chuckle*

          • “The Coalition was responsible for taking 50% off the Labor NBN FTTP rollout targets in 2013?”

            No. The Coaltiion’s NBNCo were responsible for setting the bar so low for themselves that they couldn’t help but meet them. Not really something to cheer about.

            “Doesn’t matter what I think”

            I’m glad you clarified that.

            “the Coalition MtM has been voted in for a second term”

            Errrr no. The Coalition has been voted in for a second term. Not their MTM.

            “Who by, you and your one eyed FTTP band of brothers?”

            I’m sure you can find many articles Reality. They’re not hard. Having the same problem as Richard are we?

            “Really? so how come the Labor NBN policy was not voted in?”

            Well duh … because there’s lots of policies in an election? Ya think? Oddly enough, that debunks your “the fact is the Coalition MtM has been voted in for a second term on the back of a re elected Government” comment as well.

            “That’s two of you that don’t know that the SR13 changed the Coalition NBN promises”

            Right. So you freely admit that election promises by the Coalition are baseless lies. Thanks for clearing that up. Because … y’know … just change the promise … it’s not like we can’t change it again if it doesn’t work out … right? *chuckle*

          • 25 Mbps by the end of 2016 … how’s that working out?

            158 days to go btw.

            Not really something to cheer about.

            Nailed it.

          • http://www.zdnet.com/article/nbn-technology-road-map-will-see-fttn-shift-to-fttdp/

            D’oh, even NBN are recognizing FRAUDBAND when they see it.

            Plus I see good old alain, having another of his each way/contradictory comments.

            He will argue tooth and nail (and even gasp… with the Liberal Party’s own report) that broadband has had no impact on elections whatsoever. But having done so umpteen times he now says (wait for it) …

            “the Coalition MtM has been voted in for a second term”

            ROFL

        • not at all and their end game is different and would have influenced their attitude to existing FTTN areas come 6 years time or so.
          there is no political option to dump all the FTTN equipment and planning and survive the electorate so they (Labor) were going for as much fibre as they could do as soon as they could pivot

    • Clare just said the same things over and over and over like a broken record. Exactly like Malcolm & Fifield’s ‘soona, fasta, cheapa.’

  2. According to the Shadow Minister, the election presented a “clear choice” between the Turnbull Government’s “failed approach” to a “second-rate” NBN, and Labor’s commitment for up to two million more fibre connections.

    Indeed it did and the “clear choice” has been made, see you in 2019, if you are still Shadow Minister.

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